Paul Heyman Describes What He Looks For In Talent At WWE Tryouts
WWE held tryouts during SummerSlam week in Nashville for potential talent, including NBA star Dwight Howard and several college athletes from the NIL (Next In Line) program. Howard's appearance caught a lot of attention, and it was the first tryout with Triple H as the Head of Creative and Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as Co-CEOs of the company.
However, a noticeable addition to Triple H's team was the Special Counsel to Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman. According to "The Game," Heyman's inclusion in the tryout was a move he made because of his mic skills, and when he asked Heyman to be a part of it, the former advocate to Brock Lesnar was thrilled.
Heyman spoke to "Bleacher Reort" about being involved in the SummerSlam tryouts, revealing what he looked for in the talent at the event.
"There's a difference right now in that today's recruits are those who see this as an option, not an obsession," Heyman said. "These aren't people living and dying and breathing and hoping and praying that all of their dreams since they were five years old can come true or come crashing down around them by the decision that's made.
"This guy might say, 'Oh, if this doesn't work out, I'll go play Canadian football,' or, 'I'll go play basketball in Europe,'" he continued. "My thing is, I'm going to ask you a lot of questions you better not have the answer to because if you do, you're in the wrong class because this is for people that don't have the prior knowledge."
The tryout featured over 50 college athletes that started on July 27 and lasted only a few days. During the tryout, the former Los Angeles Laker cut a promo while attending, calling himself "Sho'nuff," a reference to the 1985 villain from the film "The Last Dragon." A photo of Heyman sitting next to Triple H went viral, showing how heavily the former ECW Owner was involved in the proceedings.
"There are plenty of people I saw today that are qualified," Heyman said. "Are they going to main-event WrestleMania? There's a few people I can see that happening with, but not everyone, and I'm very excited about working with them in the future. But not all of them.
"If you're not going to main-event WrestleMania, are you a disruptor? Are you someone who's going to change the industry? Are you someone who's going to give us a vision that we don't have? Someone who's 20 better not look at this industry the same way I do."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Bleacher Report with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.